(A/N) Hey guys, NicKenny here uploading the latest chapter of Phase Two: Betrayal! Coming a bit late, but here now for your collective enjoyment! Written by the sensational StormBlue, depicting Agent Nebraska as the newer Freelancers take the Danger Room out for a second test! Let's see if it goes better than Maine's last attempt, eh? Oh, and more Tex news will come out with tomorrow's update, so keep an eye out. Looking forward to seeing some more great applications!

Enjoy!

Chapter Thirty – Hunger Games

Agent Nebraska

Written by Storm Blue

"The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. You trade in your reality for a role. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask." - Jim Morrison

"Agents West Virginia, Utah, New Jersey, Colorado, Nebraska, Kentucky, Nevada and Connecticut, please report to the Danger Room for training and evaluation," F.I.L.S.S. chirped happily over the intercom, gaining the attention of Freelancers.

As he heard his own designation called out among the others, Nebraska looked up, twirling his helmet in his hand. It didn't escape his notice that the A.I. had only called for the eight newest Freelancers, but that only made sense for a training round. "Sure thing, F.I.L.S.S., I'm on my way," he said in acknowledgment.

"Do you need assistance in getting there?" F.I.L.S.S. asked, ever helpful.

Nebraska smiled. "Thank you, but no, I think I can remember the way."

"Alright then," the A.I. replied, before falling silent once more.

He had been heading over to the medical bay to check in on the guys there, but that could wait. He wasn't worried about them – he barely even knew any of them – but putting on the act of a worried teammate seemed like a safe bet. After all, he had learned that the views and opinions of his teammates were just as important as those of his superior officers. Even though it was the higher-ups that called the shots, it was everyone else that had to carry the orders out.

And so he had made it a point to be kind and sociable, at least until he could get a better feel on who his teammates were and who he should be around them. His efforts so far weren't always received well, but some of the other Freelancers seemed to appreciate it.

He saw the cobalt figure of Colorado ahead of him, no doubt headed to the same place he was. She was probably glad to finally have something to do, as her stride was rather quick and determined. She didn't seem to know he was just a short distance behind her, so he remedied that.

"'Rado!" Nebraska called, and she whipped her head around, stopping for a moment, which allowed him to catch up. Her helmet was tucked under one arm, so he was able to see her face, which wasn't hostile, but not friendly either. She gave him a look as if she were sizing him up before turning and walking again. "You ready for training?" he asked, trying to make conversation.

She scoffed. "What kind of a question is that? Of course I'm ready. Newsflash: we have to be ready for anything in our line of work."

Nebraska shrugged. She didn't seem to be unnecessarily cruel, but certainly didn't shy away from being harsh. "That makes sense," he agreed in reply to her statement, and allowed silence to fall for a moment as they walked before speaking up again. "Why are you so tense?"

'Rado sent him a glare. They had entered the training room and were now just outside the adjoining Danger Room, where Agent Maine's introduction to the system had left the other Freelancers a bit apprehensive, so she turned to face him before entering. "Because being friendly and relaxed isn't going to win the war. Word of advice, Nebraska? Toughen up. Being a nice guy isn't going to get you anywhere."

With that, she stalked into the Danger Room, placing her helmet on her head. Nebraska watched her go with a contemplative smile before following her actions, his face now hid behind the visor of his own helmet.

The large chamber was bare and empty, save for the figures of New Jersey and Nevada that were already in the room. The Director wasn't anywhere to be seen, though he was no doubt observing them from afar, if Nebraska was one to judge. 'Rado and Neb stood close to the other two Freelancers, and he glanced at her, but she stared stoically ahead, preparing herself for whatever the Director would have them do.

West came in not a minute later, closely followed by Kentucky and Utah, then Connecticut. As soon as they were all present, the Director's voice entered the room, clearing his throat and causing the agents to snap to attention, despite the fact that he wasn't in the room with them.

"Agents, as I am sure you have seen, the missions we undertake are dangerous. They are not easy, and you will often return wounded. You might not even return at all."

Nebraska had a hard time reading his voice without a face to compare it to, and struggled to tell if he was regretful about this or simply telling them the facts they already knew. Probably the latter, in all reality.

The Director continued. "But that is why you train. To hone your skills, to be at your very best in order to carry out the missions and to come back alive. You are already familiar with what is in this room, as it has already been demonstrated by Agent Maine. Now you will take advantage of this advanced technology. Today you will be competing against each other. You will be navigating heavily forested terrain, where you will be forced to track down your targets. There will be weapons randomly scattered throughout the arena; holographic, therefore being non-lethal, but will still simulate real weapons. You will begin as soon as the simulator is activated. Your objective is to be the last one standing."

Kent raised his hand like a schoolboy. "I can bring my bag of grenades, right?"

"You are to use whatever is available to you in the arena. That is all," the Director replied over the intercom, ignoring Kentucky's disappointment.

"And may the odds be ever in your favour," Connie muttered grimly next to him, as though she were quoting something, but before Nebraska could question her about it, the holograms were activated and she – along with all the other Freelancers he had previously been standing with – vanished from view.

That was the only way to explain it, really. For a moment, everything appeared to have simply vanished. It only lasted for a second though, as Nebraska was suddenly standing on soft soil. He was now surrounded by trees, the boughs dangling leaves in front of his face. Rays of light streamed in to the ground from the forest rooftop, with glimpses of blue sky peeking through the branches.

While not surprised at the amount of realism this room possessed, he had to admit he was impressed.

Chances were that he only had a moment to figure out his plan of action. He didn't know how far away the other Freelancers were, or how long it would take for them to find him, but it was better to expect an encounter any minute. He couldn't set up an ambush, as he had no weapons, plus there was no telling how big their arena was, so his best bet would be to keep moving. He would probably stay on the side-lines for as long as he could and let the others battle it out. He saw no point in rushing into danger head first when he could be patient.

He kept close to the shadows and kept his actions steady, without sudden movements that would draw any unfriendly eyes to his position, all the while examining the holographic world around him, searching for anything out of place.

Gunshots pierced the air, of a single weapon being fired several times, perhaps as if the control of the gun was being fought for. He smiled, knowing that at least one opponent was, presumably, out of the action. He began to move again, but something caught his eye and he looked upward. It appeared as if there was a ripple traveling through the sky, and a picture materialized. It a photo of Nevada with a red X running through it, with a smaller photo of Colorado by the side. The message was pretty clear, stating that 'Rado and Nev had clashed, with the former coming out victorious.

Neb's lips turned up in amusement. It certainly was an effective way of telling them who was left to contend with. The pictures vanished after a minute and the sky returned to its regular hue, with white wisps of clouds flittering by on a non-existent breeze. He considered heading in the direction of the fight, but decided against it. Even if the others would be attracted there, it was too far away from him to be able to get anything out of it.

His mind strayed to Nevada. Even as the first to have been taken out in the training exercise, that didn't necessarily negate her combat skills, and combat wasn't her strongest suit anyway. As a hacker and tech genius, she had the ability to access things most everyone else couldn't, and the same went for Connecticut as well. He had a hard time understanding computers, so–

Another gunshot sounded, alarmingly close to his position, and it was quickly followed by bursts of automatic fire. On instinct, Nebraska dropped to a crouch. He was still unarmed, but he did have the advantage of surprise. With any luck he would be able to take out the unsuspecting survivor. Moving forward, he paid close attention to the sounds of the fire-fight; it sounded like only two combatants, though he would be unsurprised if someone else showed up with the same intentions as himself.

He could barely see a white shape through the trees somewhere in front of him, and as he watched, Utah was hit, stumbling backwards. Keeping an eye on the direction the big guy had been facing, Nebraska continued to creep forward as silently as he could. There was a slight flash of light green, but nothing he could focus on. He only needed to glimpse at the ripple in the sky to confirm that it had been West. An assault rifle was on the ground where Utah had dropped it, so with one more glance at the stillness of the forest around him, he leapt forward, grabbing the gun and holding it up, ready to fire.

There was no one there. He was expecting to have been greeted with bullets, but it didn't look like West had stayed. A quick hit and run assassination. The best choice on her part, giving her more time to strategize before he caught up with her. He took a moment to check the ammo left on his weapon. Not much, as there weren't any spare clips, but enough.

"Sorry buddy, I'm going to need this for a little while," he said to Utah, who gave a muffled reply that Neb couldn't hear. The assault rifle wasn't one of his most preferred weapons, those being magnums and battle rifles - the pistols being smaller and more versatile, and the BRs with a little more range and precision while still being mid-range.

He started moving again, quicker this time, but he had only gotten about ten steps before he heard the sound of a branch cracking to his left. Neb dove to the side just in time to avoid DMR rounds fired by a figure in cobalt armour. He fired his own burst in her direction, his aim going wide but it was enough to give him a few precious seconds to get behind some cover. The moment he pressed his back against the bark of the nearest tree, bullets were slammed into the other side where he had previously been standing.

"What's the matter, Nebraska?" 'Rado called out, taunting him. "Can't come out and face a girl in combat?"

"Everyone should know not to underestimate an angry female with a gun in her hands," he said in teasingly in reply, swinging out on the other side of his tree and firing his gun, forcing her to duck away. She was right behind Utah, who couldn't move, but was still conscious and stuck in the middle of the action.

'Rado snorted. "It's good to know you at least have some common sense in that head of yours. Too bad it's not going to do you any good–"

Whatever the rest of her sentence was, he didn't know, as, while they had been preoccupied with each other, Connie had snuck up on them and rammed her body into his. They tumbled away down a hill, grappling and wrestling over the control of the rifle, as she didn't have another weapon with her. Physically, he was stronger than her, but the techie was lither, and she was the one who had caught him by surprise.

He knocked the gun away from her, and it went skidding away through the moist and rotting fallen leaves. Rolling to his feet, he blocked a few kicks from her and felt a few more hit, before going on the offensive. Her hand-to-hand was good, perhaps even better than his own, as she skilfully blocked his attempts to knock her down.

He could see 'Rado following them in haste, and the arrival of Jersey changed things a bit. However, he couldn't act before a blast sounded and Connie fell forward on him. Jersey pumped her shotgun, and Neb held the brown Freelancer up in front of him as a meat-shield.

"Sorry about that," he muttered to her before letting her fall and leaping out of the way.

His right arm caught part of Jersey's next shot, however. He wasn't out of the game yet, since it wasn't a direct hit. However, his suit acknowledged the hit and stiffened his arm, making it difficult to move anything below his shoulder.

It was complete chaos after that. 'Rado clashed with Jersey, giving Nebraska a moment to recover his weapon, but before any more kills could be made, a green and blue figure jumped into the fray, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"MAKE IT RAAAAAAAIINNN!"

Through some manner of luck, Kent had managed to find himself a bundle of grenades, and was now hurling them in all directions, scattering everyone as the entire area was riddled with explosions. In some miracle, Neb wasn't caught in any of them, and he retreated, having no qualms about backing away from the fight. It didn't take long for Kent's gleeful yells to cut off.

When he looked up to see who had been taken out during the confrontation, he was surprised to find out that after Connie had been killed by Jersey, only Kent had gone down, courtesy of Colorado. So he was still left with 'Rado, Jersey, and West, who was still somewhere in the forest. He was at a disadvantage because of his stiff arm, but there was no telling who else was 'injured.' They would just have to see who came out on top.

Nebraska went back to his original strategy, creeping between the trees, going in a wide circle around where all the action had been centred before. He continued reflecting on the other rookies. He was looking for some fun in the project, and trying to figure people out was something of a habit for him. Jersey had a temper, but she was level-headed. Emotionally, she was quick to anger, but also practical, or, at least, she was most of the time.

There was movement in front of him. It was West, walking around and whipping her head around, trying to see in all directions at once so as to be alerted to any danger. He crouched in the shadows, unseen and unmoving. She gripped a pistol in her hands, too far away for him to get a clear shot with his own rifle. His ammo was low as well, and if he got caught in another fire-fight, he would surely run out. But she was unaware of his presence, and as long as that remained unchanged, he could easily take her out.

But he had no such luck. She looked in his direction, her helmeted head leaning forward as if she were squinting, trying to see details in the shadows. "Hey–!" she began, but he didn't wait for her to take action.

He burst from the bundle of leaves that had been around him and fired first. She was quick on her feet and managed to dodge, but the woods around them were thinner than elsewhere in the arena, and there was less cover. His bullets managed to catch her in the abdomen while she was twisted, trying to fire her own shots off at him, and she crumpled and fell. He approached her, dropping the now empty rifle and claiming her magnum. He would be able to use this with much more ease, as it didn't require two hands. Neb held his stiff arm close to his body so it wouldn't get in the way. Right now it was just dead weight.

He left quickly. Only three combatants left, and with fewer of them, it would likely be harder to find each other… he stood corrected. DMR rounds came close to hitting him, but missed by just a few inches. Where did they come from?

"Come on, Neb, I know you're there!" 'Rado called out. "Ready to finish what we started?"

"Of course," he replied. "You were saying something about my being smart?" He slowly poked his head around the corner.

"Very funny," she said dryly, firing as soon as the tip of his helmet came into view.

"You could have at least a little bit of fun, you know." Nebraska's mind was racing, waiting for the right moment to make his move.

"I will have fun," 'Rado said. "When I win."

Neb made his move then, darting out from the opposite side of the tree and firing at the DMR, knocking it out of her hands. She lunged at him, kicking his pistol away and swinging her right arm hard and fast at his face. Ducking underneath, he brought his knee up into her stomach, and she returned with an elbow in his back, knocking him forward a few steps. Whirling back to face her, he caught her oncoming fist in his left hand, but was unable to block her other hand slamming into his visor, knocking him down. By the time he rolled back to his feet, he was staring down the barrel of her DMR, and was greeted with a holographic bullet to the face.

"Better luck next time, Nebraska," 'Rado said as she walked away.

He watched her go from his position on the ground. He found himself feeling…curious about her. With her temper and constant snark, she clearly wasn't inviting anyone to be a friend, but what was underneath that? What was she hiding from behind her wall? No one else seemed eager to get to know her better, and 'Rado was content with that, but Nebraska wouldn't give up so easily. No, with someone like 'Rado, who let her emotions get the better of her, he would have a challenge in getting close to her. He liked that. Yes, he would have fun while at Project Freelancer.

He saw Colorado open fire in the direction of an orange figure. Jersey fired several blasts from her shotgun, though 'Rado was out of range. She was firing at the base of a fifteen-foot tree, and a well-placed punch from her robotic arm sent the thing toppling over. 'Rado was forced to roll out of the way, but was still clipped from the branches as the tree crashed to the ground. Jersey closed in, but the shorter Freelancer wasn't finished yet. She was pinned, but still managed to get her gun in front of her.

Jersey was hit a few times in her shoulder, but was quick to close the distance enough to fire one last blast from her shotgun. 'Rado stiffened, and Jersey stood there, breathing heavily. A moment later, everything around them flickered a few times, before distorting and vanishing. Neb blinked, disoriented. They were in the large white room again, with the holograms deactivated.

Jersey was the only one standing, and she looked around, blinking in confusion. "I won?"

"Round complete. Winner: Agent New Jersey," F.I.L.S.S. confirmed.

Nebraska flexed his fingers experimentally and found himself free from the armour-lock. He got to his feet and stretched, watching as everyone else did the same. They were all in the same positions they had been left in, but while the holograms had been activated, it had seemed as if much greater distances had separated them.

'Rado slapped away Utah's attempt to help her up and glared coldly at Jersey as Kent bounced up to the orange Freelancer excitedly.

"That was awesome! It was all so real!" West exclaimed, pulling her helmet off and shaking out her blonde hair, the black streak falling in front of her eye, which she brushed away.

"Well done, agents," the Director said, still not present in the room. "You are dismissed."

He didn't say anything after that, so they filed out of the room. Nebraska walked behind his chatty teammates, his thoughts interrupted by West's elbow.

"Hey, nice sneak attack out there," she said, smiling.

Neb unclasped his helmet, pulling off one mask and putting on another, plastering a similar smile onto his own face. "You thought so?" he asked, engaging in conversation and making sure to compliment her skills.

Yes…he would have fun here indeed.